Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) Position Trimmed by HighPoint Advisor Group LLC

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC cut its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) by 3.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 82,158 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,981 shares during the period. Johnson & Johnson comprises approximately 0.7% of HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Johnson & Johnson were worth $12,681,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 23,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,395,000 after acquiring an additional 847 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 17,435,359 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,521,502,000 after purchasing an additional 595,290 shares in the last quarter. Family Legacy Inc. grew its stake in shares of Johnson & Johnson by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Family Legacy Inc. now owns 32,281 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,593,000 after buying an additional 531 shares in the last quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. increased its holdings in Johnson & Johnson by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 65,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,528,000 after buying an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Financial LLC lifted its stake in Johnson & Johnson by 24.9% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 54,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,876,000 after acquiring an additional 10,854 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.55% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JNJ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Johnson & Johnson from $166.00 to $152.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Barclays increased their price target on Johnson & Johnson from $159.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Argus upgraded shares of Johnson & Johnson to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Johnson & Johnson from $175.00 to $163.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Johnson & Johnson in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.33.

Insider Activity at Johnson & Johnson

In other Johnson & Johnson news, VP Robert J. Decker sold 6,999 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.88, for a total transaction of $1,160,994.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 21,001 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,483,645.88. This represents a 25.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Timothy Schmid sold 403 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.15, for a total value of $62,928.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,357,552.70. This trade represents a 2.60 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.16% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Johnson & Johnson Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of JNJ opened at $163.63 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $394.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.61, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.47. Johnson & Johnson has a 52 week low of $140.68 and a 52 week high of $169.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.11. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $158.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.07.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 22nd. The company reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $22.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $22.44 billion. Johnson & Johnson had a return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 18.20%. Johnson & Johnson’s revenue was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.29 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Johnson & Johnson will post 10.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Johnson & Johnson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. Johnson & Johnson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 74.59%.

Johnson & Johnson Company Profile

Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension.